/HAM/ - Amateur Radio General

[Anonymous No.1855439]

duga 3 edition
old >>1840823
>New to /ham/? Read this shit!
http://www.arrl.org/what-is-ham-radio
https://www.fcc.gov/wireless/bureau-divisions/mobility-division/amateur-radio-service
>Your search engine of choice works well too!

The FAQ is now back:
https://wiki.cybsec.io/index.php/HamFAQ

>Idiot's Guide to Coax Cable
https://www.pcs-electronics.com/guide_coax.php

>Looking for frequencies to monitor near you?
http://www.radioreference.com

>Basic Rx loop fundamentals
https://www.w8ji.com/magnetic_receiving_loops.htm

>DIY SWL Mag. Loop
http://www.kr1st.com/swlloop.htm

>Small Tx Loop
http://www.kk5jy.net/magloop/

>In Depth Loop articles
http://webclass.org/k5ijb/antennas/Small-magnetic-loops.htm

>Online Practice Tests:
http://aa9pw.com/
https://hamstudy.org/
https://hamexam.org/

> Real-Time Propagation Data
http://prop.kc2g.com/

>Space Weather
https://www.swpc.noaa.gov/communities/radio-communications

>WSJT-X 2.1 User Guide
https://physics.princeton.edu/pulsar/k1jt/wsjtx-doc/wsjtx-main-2.1.2.html

>FT8 operating guide
https://www.g4ifb.com/FT8_Hinson_tips_for_HF_DXers.pdf

>APRS
http://www.aprs.org/

[Anonymous No.1855447]

...is the capacitor supposed to go right after the feed point? I think I might have fucked up my loop antenna a bit

[Anonymous No.1855448]

>>1855447
this is what I did
in my defense, I couldn't find any information on capacitor placement while I was building/researching the thing

[Anonymous No.1855451]

>>1855448
I don't think it is a loop anymore, especially with that now interrupted shield
usually it is easy to put the variable capacitor at the feeding point in a little box with the connector

[Anonymous No.1855461]

>>1855451
if I have to be honest, I'm 90% lost right now on all of this. I haven't been this confused since I started learning the nitty gritty of op-amps.
I don't know if my loop antenna is a full wave or not, I don't believe it is. It didn't have any shielding to begin with, I was just trying to use that diagram as a visual aid.

I followed this guide
https://www.knlr.com/Dave%20Pedersens%20Loop%20Antenna/The%20Simple%20Box%20Loop%20Antenna.pdf
to build my antenna. Except, where as the antenna in the guide has no feedpoint (it just connects the two ends of the wire to the capacitor with the wire unbroken), I split my wire in half, stuck one end of the two wires into my balun connector, wrapped the wires around a box, then finished off by attaching them to the capacitor.

I'm definitely picking up more stations in HF than with my dipole antenna, but the antenna's behavior is very unpredictable. One second it's low noise, the next it's going nuts. I don't have any way to accurately measure the capacitance of the capacitor, but since it's 3 pieces of foil with no dielectric, it's gotta be pretty low. Nevertheless, the antenna doesn't seem to respond at all to the capacitor being moved (or even having the sliding envelope completely removed from between the other two entirely.)

For some reason, I get better reception when aiming the antenna slightly towards the ground. I know it's sitting on top of a metal keyboard stand, but I suspect that the keyboard stand is working more as a capacitor than the envelope capacitor since if I put the antenna in just the right spot on top of the stand, SNR improves as well.

[Anonymous No.1855472]

>>1855413
>these things will dissapear soon. good riddance. SDR BTFOS all those things
Not entirely.
First off good filters are important to make use of the dynamic range of the ADC. A broadcasting station be it radio, TV, navigation or something else, will easily overload your ADC.
Good filters are also important for the transmitter part to stay within the regulations. Not all do that, ref. Pixie.
Also don't overlook the importance of a nice mechanical user interface like a large knob for the frequency and sufficient with buttons to avoid digging deep into multi layer menus.
I would also have had two screens, a frequency screen like pic. related for the band I am operating on, as well as the right screen in >>1855357 to see what the sounding is like on a world map.
These things are self contained and may very well have a SDR inside, but most sSDR solutions now are components that have to be set up with dozens of other components in a mess.

[Anonymous No.1855507]

>>1855461
So all you want is improve your medium wave reception?

[Anonymous No.1855509]

>>1855472
>Not entirely.
Not at all, see >>1852241

[Anonymous No.1855511]

>>1855507
Yeah, pretty much.

[Anonymous No.1855528]

>>1855472
i should clarify
SDR will btfo those things in the next 10 years. providing better performance and cleaner audio in a cheaper way with lower energy usage, and computer based audio interface.

[Anonymous No.1855544]

>>1855461
Loose the balun, and all that other shit there too. Then try. If no go, loose the makeshift cap and try again.

[Anonymous No.1855549]

>>1855544
"Loose" is an adjective used to describe things that are not tight or contained. It can be used as a verb meaning to set free or release – (i.e. the hounds have been loosed) – but it is rarely used this way. "Lose" is a verb that means to suffer a loss, to be deprived of, to part with or to fail to keep possession of.

[Anonymous No.1855552]

>>1855461
Also, make sure you have uniform spacing between the turns in your loop.
>>1855549
>Jackass

[Anonymous No.1855612]

>>1855439
Don't give grampa the 'rona!

[Anonymous No.1855616]

>>1855439
Don't give grampa the 'rona!

[Anonymous No.1855623]

>>1855511
Remember this popular medium wave antenna? It can be inductively coupled to the interior ferrite rod antenna of the radio (without any further connection) and it also has an output for radios with an antenna input. Look at the circuit diagram: The main inductance (L1, 29 turns) is tuned with a variable capacitor C and it is also inductively coupled (L2, 3 turns) for direct connection to the input of the radio (if extant). On the right there's an 80m band frame antenna with a feed loop. It can also be used for transmitting (qrp I guess).

[Anonymous No.1855691]

Does anybody use CB (40 channel 27MHz) in the UK? I figured it might be fun to have one in my car as I drive around, but will I realistically ever pick anything up? Farmers? Taxi firms?

[Anonymous No.1855774]

>>1855528
>SDR will btfo those things in the next 10 years.
Meanwhile pic. related is already using SDR.

To provide something meaningful news I think we need 4 or 8 synchronised ADCs at 12 bits or better connected to an antenna array. Tech isn't the main problem, differing mindsets between rig designers and DSP programmers is the problem.

[Anonymous No.1855939]

>>1855528
how do you transmit?

[Anonymous No.1855945]

Hamnoob back . Strung my G5RV up today. It definitely wasn't a jr. thing was huge. definitely not up high enough as I'm not hearing anything on the bands. made a cw contact on 20m quickly but nothing else coming through.

Also
>>1855528
I believe my 7300 is modern SDR transceiver. Are you just saying we are going to see more features as they adapt better FPGA's?

For any fat comments I'm in grid CM99cs and dont have AC. that said I'm also interested in ham radio. make your own conclusions.

[Anonymous No.1855958]

>>1855616
Why do you always post every thread faggot.

[Anonymous No.1855980]

how well will this work?
aiming for 157 and 410 mhz
>t. accidentlaly posted this in another thread

[Anonymous No.1855999]

>>1855980
>grid CM99cs
Terribly

[Anonymous No.1856001]

>>1855999
that's a Tandy/RadioShack radio from the 90s kek

[Anonymous No.1856239]

>>1855945
>adapt better FPGA's
Not him but I think there is more to gain in having better ADCs than FPGAs that are already plenty large enough. Perhaps if you have many elements in a phase array will you need large FPGAs but you can also connect many together.

Good code is also important, especially in beam forming and direction finding. MUSIC is popular but not very good. Whoever is the first to put all pieces together will sweep the contest prize tables.

[Anonymous No.1856337]

>>1856001
The scanner will work fine, the wire will not. Spend $10 and get a rubber duck, or at the very least cut a 19" piece of wire.

[Anonymous No.1856500]

>>1856337
Why 19"?

[Anonymous No.1856592]

>>1856500
>aiming for 157 and 410 mhz

[Anonymous No.1856883]

>>1855958
propoganda

[Anonymous No.1856904]

>>1855691
We use it local up.in west yorks as a general channel just to shoot the shit.

[Anonymous No.1856971]

Has FT8 been abandoned for FT4?

[Anonymous No.1857202]

Is there a radio that can change it's frequency via a progammed tone or input? Are there are any Baofengs that can do this? I know baofengs are chinkshit, but for me they have been incredibly reliable.

[Anonymous No.1857398]

>>1855945
Just buy a se-x80 or a dx titan if you have money and a tuner

[Anonymous No.1857556]

do I drunk impulse buy the ARRL Handbook

[Anonymous No.1857563]

>>1857556
Eww.

[Anonymous No.1857566]

>>1857563
fair enough, time to pirate

[Anonymous No.1857574]

>>1857566
Unless you're going for Extra, memorize the test and walk out like a baller in 5 minutes.

[Anonymous No.1857585]

>>1857574
I'm not even licensed yet, I'm just trying to learn for shits and giggles

[Anonymous No.1857595]

>>1857585
https://hamstudy.org/
Keep taking General tests until you hit 90%.
Let your memory and curiosity be your guide. Shouldn't take more than 80 hours of effort. No money. 100% pass guarantee.

[Anonymous No.1857741]

I bought a bladeRF and want to fuck around with everything-except-fucking-HAM.
Why the fuck is absolutely everything on the goddamned internet about building big as fuck antennas so you can chat with dipshit boomers about their bunions and collectively filthy hygiene?
I just want to fuck around with my goddamned phone and monitors TEMPEST-style.

I decided that this was the one thing I'd spend actually good money on to get the most play I could get out of one device (instead of the usual limitation-hell of buying the cheapest thing, learning its limitations, buying the next cheapest thing, etc). That was the bladeRF xa4.

So far, all of the writeups and guides are for earlier hardware (or outright shitty hardware like the rtl-sdr), and there's no real discussion about how to take those guides and adapt them to my hardware.

Perhaps most annoyingly, Google has provided me with a constant wave of "LEARN LITERALLY EVERYTHING POSSIBLE ABOUT ANTENNAS BEFORE BUILDING A SINGLE ONE OR RISK EXPLODING EVERYTHING YOU OWN IN A FIFTY YEAR TIMESPAN" propagandist bullshit, and I have no fucking clue how to take the information from all of this goddamned DIY HF bullshit and translate it to UHF.

Can someone spoonfeed me on where I can do research on this information without it being fucking tailored to this? I want cheap antennas that do what I want, but even a wideband UHF vivaldi is $40 on amazon--is it really cheaper to DIY that kind of stuff if I have access to a hackerspace?

Also, everyone's told me "dude just get an antenna tuner bro," but then I look around and see antenna tuners are fucking $100 and only cover...fucking...HF...

[Anonymous No.1857755]

>>1857741
Well what band are you interested in? Since your SDR is really only 6m and above making tuned antennas that aren't huge should be easy. For vhf/uhf I use a dual band ringo antenna.

[Anonymous No.1857757]

>>1857741
>buys 500 $ SDR
>don't want to spend 40 $ on an antenna
make your own Vivaldi UHF antenna, a cheap discone will be around the same price.
You bought a device used to experiment and tinker with, as many SDR receivers, I bought a Hack RF One and wasn't able to use it for a year because there weren't any software using it, These things are used by people who can develop their own drivers and software or at least create the decoder in GNU radio

[Anonymous No.1857762]

>>1857757
The idea of putting in 5 hundo to the SDR was to get the necessary range and quality to fuck around in whatever I'd conceive of, but I'm still a cheap cunt. I would have cheaped out even further on the limeSDR, but I've heard the board is trash and has even more fucky problems than the blades.
I haven't touched anything on the GNURadio side--I'll have to look into that, as I've primarily been interested in just getting to the point that I can see shit on the waterfall, and then been caught up constantly trying to optimize learning about things to not end up spending $500 more on antennas and goddamned connectors holy shit so many FUCKING connectors.
>>1857755
I think the tempest stuff I'm interested in is from 300MHz to 1200GHz, if I recall.
If it's easy, is there an actual guide to doing so?

Why isn't there a singular reference available for what the actual differences of different antenna designs are for the layman? I only very recently even discovered Vivaldis.
Another unrelated question is why the $40 vivaldi I found on amazon has a fucking SWR of 2.0-2.5, when I've heard TXing is dangerous on anything worse than 1.6.

[Anonymous No.1857777]

>>1857762
>discone

[Anonymous No.1857779]

>>1857777
I'm hoping for actual links, as everything from search engines is either too specific or too vague.

[Anonymous No.1857780]

>>1857779
https://www.changpuak.ch/electronics/calc_11.php

[Anonymous No.1857783]

>>1857780
I'm gonna have to admit that I still don't know what to do with this.
Speaking of the ARRL antenna book, has someone uploaded the most recent version of it and the others to libgen yet? I think the old version is missing a billion pages.

[Anonymous No.1857860]

>>1857741
>Can someone spoonfeed me
No.

[Anonymous No.1857868]

>>1857762
I'll give you a tip. Once you get above 400 MHz, quality coax and connectors matter. You will not get away with using shitty china trash or TV coax (rg-59).

[LilLeto No.1857893]

>>1857741
>I bought a bladeRF and want to fuck around with everything-except-fucking-HAM.
>Why the fuck is absolutely everything on the goddamned internet about building big as fuck antennas so you can chat with dipshit boomers about their bunions and collectively filthy hygiene?
Well, isn't that just the perfect way to introduce yourself in a HAM RADIO thread, before you ask us for help.

[Anonymous No.1857899]

Newbie to /ham/ here
I found a channel, Toronto area, 145.409.5. Just a load of random blokes checking in to a tower repeater, saying howdy, and then checking out. What is this? Is this a /ham/ thing?

[LilLeto No.1857904]

>>1857899
Generally, on repeater networks, there's specific days and times people meet and talk. Other times, there's little to no action. Repeaters, while still greatly increasing range, still have a limited area of usability. You're gonna have to go into the HF bands to get lots of chatter on specific frequencies.

[Anonymous No.1857913]

>>1857899
Just bored guys who don't want to watch soap operas or listen to the same men's vitality commercial on the radio.
They're good guys and a great helping hand if you find yourself without phone or cell service and need help.

[Anonymous No.1858055]

>>1857899
That's most likely VE3TWR on the CN tower, 144.810 up, 145.410 dn.
>Is this a /ham/ thing?
No, it's a ham thing. Use 103.5 Hz if you want to check in.
SUNDAYS 5.30 pm GTA Regional Clubs & ARES/EmComm Net
MONDAYS 9.00 pm Ontario SATERN IRLP Net
Please support your local net with a check in.

[Anonymous No.1858076]

>>1858055
Okay that's cool, what's the point of it though? Just bought a RTL-SDR so I'm just tuning into random stuff.

lol that photo, I can see my condo

[Anonymous No.1858191]

>>1855439
What is that a picture of?
What's the appeal of this hobby?
Is this a hobby?
Does climbing radio tower really cook my insides and give me cancer?
My father had a small old boombox that could listen to airplanes, how could it do that?

[Anonymous No.1858201]

>>1857893
It's presumed and clear that little to no people here are fuckwit boomers, and that half of the people here are equally frustrated.
>>1857913
Yeah, some dude who still calls his syphilis "VD" is a real big help in a pickle.
>>1857860
Misrepresenting me through my own exaggeration. Cute.
>>1857868
Is rg-6 sufficient? How do I do all of the connecting? I've heard the basic crimpers are garbo.

[Anonymous No.1858202]

>>1858191
>What is that a picture of?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duga_radar
>What's the appeal of this hobby?
Different per person. I like to build things and get them on the air and experiment. Others just like the communication aspect.
>Is this a hobby?
Yup.
>Does climbing radio tower really cook my insides and give me cancer?
No, but an active transmitter will give you some sick burns. https://hamradioschool.com/t0c07-rf-burn/
>My father had a small old boombox that could listen to airplanes, how could it do that?
Civil aviation communications are in the clear, usually not far above the normal FM broadcast band where you hear radio shows and shit.

[Anonymous No.1858258]

post your antenna's?

[Anonymous No.1858444]

>>1858191
>What's the appeal of this hobby?
talking to people around the world with your own gear
making the gear, using it, transforming it, making antennas, software, transceivers, all sort of things, digital modes, satellite, voice, not one of the guys I know do the same things
>Is this a hobby?
yes, but you need a license because radio spectrum is in most countries in the world, a public resource that is allocated to a lot of users, private or not
>Does climbing radio tower really cook my insides and give me cancer?
Don't do that, usually they are turned off when technicians have to do something
>My father had a small old boombox that could listen to airplanes, how could it do that?
airplane transmissions are in AM (like the non FM radio stations : short waves, long waves) somewhere around 108 to 140 MHz IIRC. It's clear voice like HAM.
You also can get ADSB (position, altitude, speed, type of aircraft, etc.) info on 1090 MHz now with a cheap USB TV receiver and some software

[Anonymous No.1858451]

>>1858202
>>1858444
Ah I see, the boombox I should mention had things like fm, am, vhf, cb, and tv1 and tv2, though it had no screen so I don't know what those were for.
Maybe if I wasn't already blowing all my money on motorcycle stuff I would get into this.

[Anonymous No.1858453]

>>1858451
It was possible to listen to the sound of analog TV

[Anonymous No.1858601]

>>1858076
why would you get an RTL-SDR if you can afford a condo in downtown Toronto

[Anonymous No.1858602]

>>1858444
>talking to people around the world
who cares that's no longer difficult.

[Anonymous No.1858605]

>>1858602
>with your own gear

[Anonymous No.1858648]

FUCK ME
I just had the power go off for two fucking minutes and lost the tab I had open with a magazine article about basic DIY antennas.
It started with "it's that time of year where the girls's minds turn to boys and the boys's minds turn to radio" or some shit like that.

[Anonymous No.1858650]

>>1858648
https://www.arrl.org/files/file/Technology/tis/info/pdf/0683033.pdf Fucking found it

[Anonymous No.1858789]

>>1858601
I'd rather throw $30 at something I'm curious at than a few hundred at something I'm going to lose interest in in a couple of weeks.

[Anonymous No.1858822]

>>1858602
you build phones dawg? you own your own network infrastructure? fuck off

[Anonymous No.1858823]

>>1858789
Toronto is good for lightning research.

[Anonymous No.1858906]

I want to set up a radio transmitter I can leave somewhere to play a tune on loop. Think numbers station but a small range, nothing illegal or too powerful.
So a transmitter, power supply, and music device all in one that will be able to play itself for at least a few weeks if not a month or so without me having to get it and swap out the battery.
Ive been trying to figure out how others have done it but most of their solutions are either extremely complicated or require the device to be played in a car or at home, and I just want to leave it somewhere. If it has to be an involved project, Ill get into the nitty gritty, but I just wanna know the fastest, easiest, and cheapest way to do this.

[Anonymous No.1858956]

it would be nice if there was a book (set) that taught radio electronics from the ground up by building your own radio set

[Anonymous No.1858994]

So, did a bunch of solvent huffers find this thread, or what? The quality of posts has always been near shit, but it's been on a different level lately.

[Anonymous No.1858999]

>>1858994
find your nearest hospital and take a deep breath

[Anonymous No.1859009]

>>1858999

[Anonymous No.1859015]

>>1858601
I bought a BladeRF and still have to adapt everything that the RTL-fuckers write up.

[Anonymous No.1859018]

>>1858994
love that 705. why tf didnt they include vhf with the 7300

[Anonymous No.1859165]

Could I use something like the HackRF as an HF or maybe VHF / UHF transceiver? Would it be possible to amplify the small TX output to something around 1 - 5 watts? Thanks.

[Anonymous No.1859180]

I heard about a ham meetup near my town, i didn't go to it but apparently there were a metric ton of them playing with their equipment.

[Anonymous No.1859198]

>>1859165
>Could I use something like the HackRF as an HF or maybe VHF / UHF transceiver?
HackRF is that already.
And yes, the TX can be amplified.

[Anonymous No.1859231]

>>1858994
>Talking about the ic-705
>Being a soi boi for a revamped, 30 year old ic-706 at 1/20 the power.

[Anonymous No.1859292]

>>1859231
>being a poorfag

[Anonymous No.1859296]

Where the fuck do I LEARN the basics of Ham radio? Like actually learning.

All the books and everything I see online are just about passing the test but I actually would like to know what the fuck is going on, at least at the tech level. There’s an online test the 20th and I’m trying to be at least a little knowledgeable by then.

I’m not a poor friend so I don’t mind actually buying books or whatever but you sure can’t beat free.

[Anonymous No.1859297]

Does anyone know if the (De-DRM'd) ARRL digital antenna book has steganographic telemetry/metadata that could link it back to someone?

[Anonymous No.1859302]

>>1859296
It's not entry level friendly. I'll bite, what interests you in the hobby?

[Anonymous No.1859304]

>>1859296
Bro when I find out, I'll let you know.
I've been trying to learn for months now and while I have picked some stuff up, 98% of the stuff I've found feels like conflicting bullshit or Radio Boomer Woo.
All of the supposed entry level stuff such as the ARRL books are ostensibly written for the new learner, but in actuality are written by boomers who either already expect the reader to know what they're talking about, write in such a way that it feels like they're trying to flex on newbies, or are so clueless they genuinely don't realize that their introductory book is entirely impenetrable to a radio neophyte.

Then there's the fucking snake oil. Jesus fucking christ. I haven't seen this much woo bullshit pedaled since I learned about audiophiles. It's all so confusing and misdirecting - presenting this weird fringe thing as a fundamental tenet of radios. Then you get the next website over which goes NO, that woo BAD. THIS woo good. And it just muddies the water further...

that's why I really, really want something like >>1858956

[Anonymous No.1859321]

>>1859302
well, to start im looking for a hobby. with all of the learning, time, and money that includes. ya know, something to fully immerse myself in. ive gotten a new job recently so i have a little extra time and money that ive never had before.

i like some of the ideas like chatting up randomly with other hams, emergency communications, and for me I spend a lot of of time out in the woods so I like the idea of having a radio on my in case something goes tits up.

so, im not looking for like, an easy way, I want to really learn. Im just having a hard time figuring out what "step 1" is.. I guess besides getting a radio, which I do have one on the way.

[Anonymous No.1859323]

>>1859304
>>1858956
Yeah, Ive been resigned to watching endless youtube videos for now until I pull a trigger on the books. The ARRL books seems to be the ones kept most up to date, but everything I read about them says they just read like a book of questions and answers without actually going into the detail of any of it.

At this point I may just get enough memorized for the license and just figure out more of it as I go.

[Anonymous No.1859324]

>>1859321
I hear ya. That's part of the difficulties of starting. There are too many angles to enter. Ham is a collection of hobbies. You're about where I was a year ago.
I've wanted to find/put together a list of all the different things you can do.
Chatting with hams could be local or across the world or the space station. Same with ecomms. Having a safety net in case you don't have cell service is also important. That's the main reason I have a VHF radio in my car.
There is an easy way once you figure out what you want to learn.
For me, I bought a Baufang (gasp!), then learned to program it and listened to the local guys. That got boring, so I actually learned about radios and signals and got on HF and chased awards for talking around the world. Now I'm thinking of learning about shooting signals off satellites or morse code or GPS.
Other people like collecting old radios or working on them or modeling antennas or .... they're all hobbies in and of themselves. And it's not much more than a good youtube video away.

[Anonymous No.1859331]

>>1859324
Here's a start
>160M – Get on the band The Gentleman's Band – May need a different antenna
>AMSAT - Join and work the universe Operate one of the amateur satelites like AO-51
>APRS - find yourself (GPS) And let others know where you are!
>ARES - (Amateur Radio Emergency Service) Help your NF ARES group Find your local ARES group and start having fun with them. Pass the IS courses.
>ARES nets Check into NF ARES nets and surrounding counties
>Antenna Party Friends don't let friends build and install HF antennas by themselves!
>Antennas - Build'em and use'em Wire antennas, Yagis, quads, hex beams, - then argue about'em
>Audio - make it better Heil, Berringer, audio filters, all things audio
>Balloonatics Hams who put expensive transmitters in balloons and watch them fly away!
>Bicycle Mobile Talk while riding - look ma - no hands; look ma - no teeth!
>Boatanchors Collect and operate old radios. Restore old radios. Cheap fun?
>CW - Learn it! You only know half the fun of ham radio w/o CW
>Club - .Join/renew! NFARL A more genearl term - join a ham club! OR join 2 or 3 clubs. More clubs, more fun!
>Computer Control Computer control one or more rigs in your shack - Ham Radio Deluxe
>Contesting Make a lot of contacts and work on your operating skills at the same time.
>County Hunting Work 500, 1000 ... and all 3077 of them.
>Crystal Radio - build one Show how simple a radio can be
>DSTAR Get on the digital bandwagon! It's everywhere, it's everywhere! Use a dongle from your computer
>DX - Work other countries DX The Ultimate Contact Sport – There are 337 country entities so this should keep you busy!
>DXpedition Pack it up and hit the road to that small island!
>Digital modes Work one or many of the various FREE digital modes available for download such as FLDIGI!

[Anonymous No.1859333]

>>1859331
>Echolink - computer and ham radio Work repeaters/other hams via your computer
>EmComm - ANTENNA You never know when you'll need to go PORTABLE so build a portable antenna. J-pole is a good one.
>Field Day Operate this fun event with your friends. Join the award winning NFARL FD team.
>Fox Hunting Tie amateur radio into physical exercise
>Hamfest Attend a hamfest - sell that old junk, buy more! Work at the NFARL table for at least one hour!
>IOTA Islands on the AIR - every group of islands has an ID - work'em all!
>MARS Military Affilate Radio - join up, serve your armed forces
>Meteor Scatter World's shortest and longest QSOs at the same time
>Mobile - radio in motion Set up a mobile station - VHF or HF
>Nets Check in before you check out!!
>Public service Work a public service event (I believe every ham should work at least one each year!)
>QSL cards Collect'em, get some printed, mail out some.
>RACES ... as in Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service
>Remote Control your station Operate your station over the internet
>Repeaters Build'em, use'em, fix'em, control'em
>SSTV Operate Slow Scan TV. Several nets meet daily.
>Shack setup Set up a shack (might need some help with an antenna raising party!)
>Short Wave Radio Listen to SW Radio from your favorite country. Follow New Years around the globe for 24 hours?
>Skywarn Watch the weather = tell the National Weather Service
>Software - Ham Radio There are thousands of programs out there and they are fun to play with.
>Software Defined Receiver Build or set up a software defined receiver or transceiver
>Space Station Talk to the ISS - chat up an astronaut
>Television - FSTV Fast Scan TV - on 440 mhz - set up your station and show off!
>Test Equipment Make a list and buy or make yours
>Traffic NETS Try handling messages via SSB (75M) or CW(80M)
>Upgrade your license -General Ticket Or upgrade from whatever class you are, even to EXTRA class.
>Worked All States - W.A.S. Obtain this and a thousand other awards

[Anonymous No.1859335]

>>1859331
Yeesh! that's a list of grinding side quests in a lame MOMPRPG.

[Anonymous No.1859336]

>>1855958
to remind them of what they really are.

[Anonymous No.1859338]

>>1859335
It's a combination of hobbies which I see as the ham hobby, which is a road block for newbs.
Maybe one kid wants to use APRS to track a package via UPS.
Maybe another kid wants to chase DX or play with SDR
Maybe another wants to sperg out on Skywarn
All perfectly fine, but different paths.

[Anonymous No.1859339]

>>1859338
Those are all different branches, but they all involve a common denominator of skills and knowledge.
That's what we're complaining about. There's plenty of information for doing specialized shit with radios. Information on the fundamentals and prerequisites is few and far between.

[Anonymous No.1859345]

>>1859339
The only pre-reqs I can see are FCC rules, band allocations and very light rf theory.
If you want to build a radio, check out the diy foxhole radio.
Everything else is dependent on what you want to do. HF radios and antennas are night and day from VHF.

[Anonymous No.1859366]

>>1859198
Alright cool! So all I would need to make into a actual HF transceiver is just something like an LNA amplifier?

[Anonymous No.1859383]

>>1855528
please be bait

[Anonymous No.1859384]

>>1855939
>implying

[Anonymous No.1859387]

>>1859366
Yes, the output power is tiny so you need a power amplifier (PA). Importantly you also need an antenna tuner too, as well as a good antenna. A good antenna is one of the most important part of a radio system.

HackRF covers a huge frequency span but has only 8 bits of resolution. It might be a different kit is a better starting point, especially if you are new to this and are not familiar with all configurations that HackRF involves.

[Anonymous No.1859413]

Well?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCfEiEIgLeg

[Anonymous No.1859452]

>>1859324
i grabbed one of those anytone 878s? it should be here this week, although i read mixed things on whether its a good starter radio or not. id rather have a few extra bells and whistles to figure out than get a barebones radio and want to spend a bunch of extra money right away. i dont know if that makes sense but thats my reasoning anyway.

I suppose Ill just look through these test prep books and have to research everything on my own. which honestly, is fine, but if the fcc is worried about it being a dying technical skill or whatever you think there'd be a bit more easily accessible knowledge about it. maybe im just being entitled though.

does /ham/ use their addressees or PO boxes?

[Anonymous No.1859459]

>>1859452
Good luck on the test. I found HamStudy very useful in that the answers are on the back. (pic related)
Learning how the radio operates is sadly a dying skill, much like changing your own oil. Largely, the only doing you can do on your Anytone is software related.
Have fun. Make a 2M yagi and bounce your voice off satellites. Learn how to program it for your local frequencies and you'll always have friends or entertainment along for the ride.

[Anonymous No.1859541]

I'm in the process of building a simple antenna - it's my first little ham project. I need an adapter for my radio,which has a female SMA antenna connector, but I'm not sure what to get. Google/Amazon yields all sorts of stuff and I don't want to buy the wrong thing. I'm just hooking the adapter to some coax.

[Anonymous No.1859543]

>>1859541
>female SMA antenna connector
SMA to PL-239?
I'd recommend buying a lot of misc parts. They'll come in handy for your next antennas or connections.

[Anonymous No.1859550]

>>1859413
ham radio conversations are so exciting.
https://youtu.be/MBIWgIo_1WE

[Anonymous No.1859555]

>>1859550
Reminds me of this
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1hlp0DCE_8

[Anonymous No.1859665]

>>1859331
saving pasta for future pre-techs

[Anonymous No.1859676]

>>1859384
ahh so just an unlicensed lurker. right on. eventually you might want to take a test and contribute to the waves bro.

[Anonymous No.1859681]

well the first install of the g5rv did work whatsoever. reinstalled out in the open yard strung up one end on the top of a palm. 20feet up. middle is on a 27 foot pole. last leg is on another pole attached to the dope greenhouse's corner leg. waiting for a length of coax to come today, make a lil choke and see if this 7300 wont get on the air.

[Anonymous No.1859729]

Alright, I got one for you guys.
Why aren't there sponsorship for DX ballers?
Why isn't Icom and Yaesu and Hygain knocking on the door and trying to suck the cock of those with 340+ countries?
Happens all the time with other hobbies and sports ...

[Anonymous No.1859738]

>>1859681
it is picking up signals now but noise is still at s9.
Thinking about driving to HRO tomorrow and ditching this g5rv altogether

[Anonymous No.1859812]

>>1859738
Antennas do not generate noise, they receive it. It could be your normal background. Check with a simple dipole and analyse the structure for digital e-smog.

[Anonymous No.1859854]

>>1859738
>noise is still at s9.
on all bands ? At any time of the day ?

[Anonymous No.1859976]

>>1859812
The real plague is PLC (power line communication).
In general, if the noise shows a 'technical' pattern, it's QRM (man-made). If it is almost random, it's QRN (natural). Horizontal lines on the waterfall point to lightning.

[Anonymous No.1860059]

>>1859452
>878

[Anonymous No.1860061]

>>1859292
>Wasting money on an IC-705 and multiple amps to persuade yourself you have a better setup than an ic-7300 and a ht.

[Anonymous No.1860100]

>>1860061
>amps
>What is portable operating?
>What is QRP?
>Who are Yaesu and Kenwood?
>Why are Chinese HTs trash?
>Why is it possible to own more than one HF rig?
Why do poorfags absolutely seethe about anything other than baomemes and rtl-sdrs?

[Anonymous No.1860151]

>>1860100
I've got a pixie and raspi I can glue together and sell you for $1,500.

[Anonymous No.1860286]

>>1859812
Was a long night of adjusting my antenna and my 7300. Learned a lot . 20m is functional. I'm hearing many signals states away. although my entire g5rv is only 25 feet high. considering getting a telescoping metal pole 35-40 feet high

Pic related, heard a german guy from canada

[Anonymous No.1860441]

how would I find the transmitting frequency of a device?
>have a cheap wireless doorbell
>want to add custom functionality
>device label says it's FCC certified no id tho and doesn't show up in search
>receiver IC says it can work from 300 to 440MHz
>try to listen with an SDR dongle and rtl_433 in 315.500MHz and 433.920MHz
>nothing comes out

[Anonymous No.1860480]

>>1860441
If it works something comes out.

[Anonymous No.1860488]

>>1860441
have you tried turning it off and on again

[Anonymous No.1860584]

>>1859976
>Horizontal lines on the waterfall point to lightning.
Like yesterday.

[Anonymous No.1860707]

>>1860584
>lightning
Also seen in >>1855774
So why don't they filter out the QRN on the display and summarise it on the side, leaving the main field uncluttered? Radar signal processing has done that for decades.
And it is not as if you have to dispose of the data entirely, with a GPS disiplined clock you could participate in lightening networks such as Blitzortung.
The same goes for QRM such as sweeping sounders that could be used in building up data on global accessible range and without the need for Internet access to your rig.

[Anonymous No.1860761]

>>1860707
>So why don't they...?
So what do you think?

[Anonymous No.1860856]

>>1860761
I don't really know. The techniques are really well known, you just have to hire someone with a tiny bit of DSP background.

[Anonymous No.1860979]

>>1860707
>why don't they filter out the QRN on the display and summarise it on the side, leaving the main field uncluttered? Radar signal processing has done that for decades.
Because it's a lot on non-trivial work, numbnuts.

[Anonymous No.1861021]

>>1860979
It was implemented on most digital radar plots 30 years ago. It may have required a PhD and high end processors back then but not in 2020.
Do you even know the algorithms used?

[Anonymous No.1861063]

Not really a HAM question but not sure where else to ask
I'm thinking of dropping $200 on a shortwave radio. I don't know shit about radios. Lots of boomers on the internet keep complaining that they can't even find many stations anymore. This is bullshit right? How many SW stations can you guys listen to?

[Anonymous No.1861068]

>>1861063
its bullshit dude. once I correctly strung up my antenna I've been on 20m for the past two days 24/7. It's been awesome .

But remember the bands are dead ;)

[Anonymous No.1861072]

>>1861068
Thanks dude

[Anonymous No.1861098]

>>1861063
>I'm thinking of dropping $200 on a shortwave radio.
You will find a wealth of information on https://swling.com/ and the blog https://swling.com/blog/
Just keep in mind that a good antenna is always important.

[LilLeto No.1861108]

>>1861063
Only throwing this out there because I own one and am completely, unashamedly biased, but look on ebay for a Radio Shack DX-390 portable shortwave radio. 150khz to 30mhz coverage, along with FM radio. Does SSB fairly well, and has pretty good sensitivity and selectivity. Just make sure the thing is in proper working order. You should get one in great shape for $60-$100.

And, there's activity all over the bands. Just gotta get a handle on when to look at what band.

[Anonymous No.1861170]

>>1861063
>How many SW stations can you guys listen to?
there are 3 or 4 english stations that are all preachers. everything else is an asian or spanish language.

>>1861068
>correctly
define correctly.

[Anonymous No.1861171]

>>1861068
>awesome
extremely impressive or daunting; inspiring great admiration, apprehension, or fear.

none of that describes the ham radio experience. be realistic diverting, or mildly interesting but awesome? pull the other one.

[Anonymous No.1861175]

https://n0ssc.com/posts/583-millennials-are-killing-ham-radio
https://www.eham.net/article/40866
https://forums.qrz.com/index.php?threads/ham-radio-is-not-dying-its-dead.174648/
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/other-blog-specific/ham-radio-is-it-dead-in-2019/?PHPSESSID=fhe43udi0j92q2htfs724jae45
http://www.k6sgh.com/dying.htm

[Anonymous No.1861176]

>>1861175
https://hackaday.com/2016/12/12/my-beef-with-ham-radio/

[Anonymous No.1861178]

>>1861171
Yeah ok autist

[Anonymous No.1861203]

>>1861175
>>1861176
>blogs
>eham
>qrz
>more blogs
The last decade has had the most licensed amateurs ever.
http://www.arrl.org/news/us-amateur-radio-numbers-reach-an-all-time-high

[Anonymous No.1861249]

>>1861203

[Anonymous No.1861276]

>>1861249
Different anon but I've heard the same "the sky is falling" rhetoric since the 70's when I got licensed as a teenager.

Back then it was digital modes and transistors, nowadays it's baofengs and FT8.

Considering licensure is pretty much the highest it's ever been, I'd say it's not going anywhere.

Then again I'm a boomer who keeps up with the times rather than being an emu and seeing everything new as a problem.

So if your definition is hogging half of 40 on full bandwidth AM, CW, or the local 2m repeater to talk about your new colostomy, then yeah. YOUR version of ham radio IS dying.

[Anonymous No.1861346]

>>1858602
Do It Yourself Communications.
If you aren't interested in doing it yourself, why are you even here?
>>1858650
Nice ,lol.

>>1858906
Look up VK3YE On youtube. Look in to dollar store FM transmitters. Strap that bad boy to some NiCads, Solar panel, maybe a timer, or build a solar sensor. I dunno man.

>>1858956
https://f6glz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/csts_book.pdf

>>1858994
The quality has been exceptionally bad. Usually from the influx of /k/tards who are on the hard left of the dunning-kruger effect.

>>1859296
From the ground up, step by step? See:
https://f6glz.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/csts_book.pdf


http://sparkbangbuzz.com (This site only works http, if your browser auto-directs to https it won't work).

I don't like this book but have included it:
https://www.qsl.net/sp9hzx/img/Ham%20Radio%20for%20Dummies.pdf

This entire book:
https://archive.org/details/arrl_1968_handbook
Just skim over the tubes.
Do it like a school text book. I understand it is difficult, but I also suspect that you are having difficulty translating these "theoretical" texts to real life.
A lot of the writing is done so it sounds theoretical.

As an example, there is this book:
https://archive.org/details/Magnetic_Amplifiers_Paul_Mali_1960
And then there is actually doing it:
http://sparkbangbuzz.com/mag-amp/mag-amp.htm

You are going to have to learn to do that translation yourself.

Also the entire us navy electronics electricity training series is top notch (I have done it myself):
https://archive.org/details/navyelectronicselectricitytrainingseries

>>1860100
It's a strange mentality.


In closing. Nobody can force you to be a radio autist and enjoy coming up with your own communications solutions. It has to be something you go into by choice.

[Anonymous No.1861387]

>>1860059
so I don’t have Facebook can I not use dmr

[Anonymous No.1861470]

>>1861387
Source seems to be http://hamradio.joomla.com/anytone-dmr.html
It says you need a fakebook account if you want to join groups, that's all .

[Anonymous No.1861563]

>>1861470
yeah i realize i probably came off as as snarky, but yeah that kind of sucks. I guess a facebook would be handy for that sort of thing. Ive looked into some of the local clubs and they all seem to use facebook groups and shit for their primary net spot so that kind of blows.
hopefully ill get some luck on discord or twitter, if not id just rather go to a physical meeting than get facebook just for some ham radio groups.

[Anonymous No.1861601]

>>1861563
You could try talking to them on the airwaves, or seeing them in person at the local club.

Just explain that you don't have facebook and would like to use the repeater.

Heck, you could look up the club and give them a phone call.

[Anonymous No.1861644]

A while ago someone posted links to how radio signals could be analysed and decoded. Stupidly I lost the links and somehow I cannot find it on wasooru either. Could you post these again? Thanks.

[Anonymous No.1861663]

>>1861644

[Anonymous No.1861670]

>>1861644
>>1849063
>what software would you recommend for sdr to identify digital signals?
>>1849105
>Universal Radio Hacker or SigDigger.

[Anonymous No.1861678]

DN31wn to EM55fr 2058 km
listening to drunk dan on 7200

[Anonymous No.1861710]

>>1861678
what is the chan 20m frequency?

[Anonymous No.1861758]

>>1855439
Can we agree on time/frequency? 10/20/40m, or the warc bands. 7:30pm CST - pick a band. Anonymity will not be lost - you will be a part of DX cluster. We really should pick a freq and stumble upon it.

[Anonymous No.1861760]

>>1855439
14.250 - any anons jump in. If you can't tune 20m you aren't up to snuff.

The band is pretty dead but try anyway. Call Cq. I'm listening.

[Anonymous No.1861761]

>>1861758
Fuck it. I'd be down for a FT8 raid.
Imagine all of the US talking about dirty kikes

[Anonymous No.1861765]

>>1855439
20m is dead tonight. It's a good idea to post a freq though! Any of us can stumble upon a CQ.

[Anonymous No.1861766]

>>1861761
FT8 - welcome to 1994 internet chat.

[Anonymous No.1861769]

>>1855439
Still listening

[Anonymous No.1861770]

>>1861710
>>1861758
>>1861760
>>1861765
>>1861769
Dude, relax...

[Anonymous No.1861812]

>>1855439
What are the comfiest things you’ve experienced while talking to people around the world?

[Anonymous No.1861818]

>>1861770
Relaxed to the max. I have a decent RX antenna, NE and SE United States. I didn't hear a flutter after a specific call-out. Not many true hams aboard these threads, it seems.

[Anonymous No.1861820]

>>1861812
I live in the SE United States. On vacation, we stayed aboard the Queen Mary ocean liner.

When 10m was on fire, I worked the Queen Mary (East Coast to West Coast) with a Yaesu 450-D and 40' of lamp cord. That was pretty comfy to me.

[Anonymous No.1861823]

>>1861760
tuning to 14.250

[Anonymous No.1861876]

/my new landlord ok'ed any antennas or projects on the property. WOOT

[Anonymous No.1861893]

I am moving to Northeast Philadelphia and I have a VHF/UHF base station but from what Ive understood VHF/UHF is shit teir. So in terms of getting into HF is it practical to attempt a base station in an Urban environment. I am an Extra class.

I have alrrady been researching HF rigs on HamRadio outlet and it already looks to be in a +$5000 range. So I am wondering if they mark up the prices.

[Anonymous No.1861913]

>>1861820
Sounds pretty nice actually

[Anonymous No.1861925]

>>1861876
>any antennas
very good

[Anonymous No.1862055]

>>1861670
Excellent, thanks!

>>1861876
>any antennas or projects on the property
Go patrician style, pic. very much related.

[Anonymous No.1862065]

>The Uncertain Future of Ham Radio (ieee.org)
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/20/07/10/2127226/the-uncertain-future-of-ham-radio
>Will the amateur airwaves fall silent? Since the dawn of radio, amateur operators -- hams -- have transmitted on tenaciously guarded slices of spectrum. Electronic engineering has benefited tremendously from their activity, from the level of the individual engineer to the entire field. But the rise of the Internet in the 1990s, with its ability to easily connect billions of people, captured the attention of many potential hams. Now, with time taking its toll on the ranks of operators, new technologies offer opportunities to revitalize amateur radio, even if in a form that previous generations might not recognize. The number of U.S. amateur licenses has held at an anemic 1 percent annual growth for the past few years, with about 7,000 new licensees added every year for a total of 755,430 in 2018. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission doesn't track demographic data of operators, but anecdotally, white men in their 60s and 70s make up much of the population. As these baby boomers age out, the fear is that there are too few young people to sustain the hobby.

>This question of how to attract younger operators also reveals deep divides in the ham community about the future of amateur radio. Like any large population, ham enthusiasts are no monolith; their opinions and outlooks on the decades to come vary widely. And emerging digital technologies are exacerbating these divides: Some hams see them as the future of amateur radio, while others grouse that they are eviscerating some of the best things about it.
>The world is changing; the amount of spectrum is not. And it will be hard to argue that spectrum reserved for amateur use and experimentation should not be sold off to commercial users if hardly any amateurs are taking advantage of it.

I guess we have done our bit with the FAQ.

[Anonymous No.1862066]

>>1859555
watching this with https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlUeW7IOSFc playing in the background is making me lose my shit

[Anonymous No.1862480]

If I had the money and resources to make an offshore HF repeater in international waters, would that void FCC regulations? How could I legally transmit to it?
The two goals are:
- Challenge dumbfuck FCC boomers
- Create an "internet" packet radio system and "anonymizer"

[Anonymous No.1862503]

>>1862480
>If I were a faggot would I be gay?

[Anonymous No.1862507]

>>1862480
I'll just steal it.

[Anonymous No.1862547]

will 30 mhz - 40 mhz propogate off the ionosphere? realistically how far would a transmission go in that range?

[Anonymous No.1862668]

IARU HF Contest
202007120813UTC
typical contest pattern

[Anonymous No.1862698]

>>1862480
You know how when someone says something really stupid in a crowded room and everyone stops talking. That's you.

There isn't enough space on HF for an "internet" system of any kind.

There isn't enough HF spectrum to transmit all the cell phone texts produced by one US state.

The only way to accomplish this would be with a smaller RF network. Made up of cells. These cells would then transport the information on a "backbone" to other locations.

Your homework is to read the following:

http://www.n5dux.com/ham/files/pdf/Building%20a%20Decent%20RF%20Network.pdf

https://www.eng.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Looking-Back-on-40-Years-of-Ethernet.pdf

https://www.eng.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/abramson1985-Development-of-the-ALOHANET.pdf

https://www.eng.hawaii.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/abramson19xx-THE-ALOHA-SYSTEM%E2%80%94Another-alternative-for-computer-communications.pdf

http://www.n5dux.com/ham/files/pdf/Wireless%20Local%20Area%20Network%20Design.pdf

The only other way to succeed would be to get your own satellite in to geostationary orbit.

>>1862547
No. It is very rare for high frequencies to bounce off the ionosphere at those frequencies.

See: https://www.voacap.com/hf/

The 10 meter band prediction is for 28-30 MHz. So it has a better chance then 30-40.

It may happen during an ionospheric event known as "sporadic e".

300-3000Km

You would be more likely to get a signal to another person using "meteor scatter" at those frequencies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_burst_communications

[Anonymous No.1862717]

Hi guys I know literally nothing about ham though I used to work as a communications installer (basically terminating cat6 and coax and home automation systems) my dad wants to go sailing in the last years of his life so we're looking to get a setup that will facilitate this without ridiculously priced sat phones and the like. We've signed up for a course this winter am I in the right place?

[Anonymous No.1862722]

>>1862717
There is HF email for amateur radio people.

[Anonymous No.1862727]

>>1861670
The info is now added to the FAQ
>https://wiki.cybsec.io/index.php/HamFAQ

[Anonymous No.1862729]

>>1862722
Is it like, regular email? Or would it have to reach me and then I would "repeat" it as a regular email

[Anonymous No.1862734]

>>1862722
there's no encryption or security with it though

[Anonymous No.1862751]

>>1862729
https://lmgtfy.com/?q=amateur+radio+email+hf
https://www.winlink.org

[Anonymous No.1862769]

>>1862751
>Not shortening the link
YNGMI
bit dot ly/3fmasxb

[Anonymous No.1862793]

http://morsecode.me
jus' sayin'

[Anonymous No.1862844]

>>1862729
You can rent a sat phone.
https://twomonkeystravelgroup.com/satellite-phones-for-sailing/

[Anonymous No.1862910]

>>1862793
I tried that, cannot get the Morse key to work.

[Anonymous No.1862972]

>>1862910
Press ".", does that work?

[Anonymous No.1863039]

>>1862972
I can make beeps, sure, the problem is that the duration are very hard to control and seem to have no bearing on how long I pressed at key.

[Anonymous No.1863040]

>>1863039
It's very sensitive to speed and pauses.
Try the different channels and keep it slow.

[Anonymous No.1863044]

It's the guy who's dad wants to go sailing again, beyond getting into amateur radio what could me and my dad do over amateur radio frequencies that would be impossible with other existant technologies? Could we talk with him in the middle of the pacific?

[Anonymous No.1863046]

>>1863044
Two separate questions, but this will determine weather or not we get into ham

[Anonymous No.1863050]

>>1863044
Email, talk, pics, GPS - all without internet or cell service.

[Anonymous No.1863054]

>>1863044
You would be better off doing a keyboard mode like Psk 31. It would be free and works when voice doesn't. Amateur radio requires training. It's hard to teach old dogs new tricks.

To be honest. You will need commercial services as a primary. Amateur as a backup. However amateur radio will take some learning. Make sure to have a good tuner on the boat.

[Anonymous No.1863056]

>>1863044
possibly, the avantage of a boat is the mast where you can hang antennas, that has been done for decades and the almost perfect ground plane (water)
Boats have been communicating by HF for ages

[Anonymous No.1863201]

Are exams being given any more? I wanted to get my loicense m8 before I leave the country again, but AFAIK everything is shut down due to Chinese Water Torture Virus.

[LilLeto No.1863214]

>>1861818
lol

[Anonymous No.1863294]

>>1863046
Do something else, jackass.

[Anonymous No.1863297]

>>1863046
Ham radio is for entertainment not for security related purposes. Get a sat phone.

[Anonymous No.1863415]

>>1863040
>It's very sensitive to speed and pauses.
I noticed, yes.
>Try the different channels
I did.
>and keep it slow.
I only get E's and T's.

[Anonymous No.1863417]

>>1863415
you're leaving too big pauses between the dits and dahs of single characters.

[Anonymous No.1863419]

>>1863044
You could also report yor position with this tool:
https://winlink.org/userPositions
That way people can see your latest position even if it is far outside AIS coverage.

[Anonymous No.1863450]

>>1862717
It's called ssb, you mongoloid, and you don't need a ham license to operate one of the commercial marine units

[Anonymous No.1863456]

>>1863450
>>1863294
>>1862751

wew no wonder amateur radio is dying

[Anonymous No.1863457]

>>1863456
I'm not a ham, but a sailor

[Anonymous No.1863463]

>>1863457
You're a sailor that doesn't know the basics of marine radio and emergency communications?
And who in the hell gives a ham course, let alone sign up for one?

[Anonymous No.1863479]

>>1863457
I'm defending you my guy
these hamfisted ham gatekeepers are being dickheads about it
I don't know enough about it all myself yet or else I'd try and give a productive answer

[Anonymous No.1863494]

>>1862717
My recommendations:
Get the license, learn about HF radios
Get a HF station at least 10W, 50 W is good, and with easy attachments for digital radios
Get a laptop with a good sound card and software for digital modes
Keep in mind that you trade bit rate for distance so you have to select a digital mode that is suited for the channel properties (noise, fading etc.)
Digital modes will work where voice will not. That is much of the world just now.
Also keep in mind that you will not see megabit rates with this. Brevity is a key, that is why Morse code operators learn about brevity-, Q-, and Z-codes.

[Anonymous No.1863611]

>>1863479
>They're not spoon feeding me answers to my absolutely retarded questions that I've already made up my mind about.
>gate keeping
It's clear you don't know shit about sailing, but somehow you think having a crash course in something else just as complex is going to make up for that. I'd recommend learning the basics of navigating open water before taking on something else that takes years of experience to be proficient at. You want to do it as a hobby and eventually rely on it, great.

[Anonymous No.1863616]

>>1863611
>It's clear you don't know shit about sailing,
and it's clear you don't know shit about reading you inbred troglodyte
I'm not the sailor and you're just proving my point

[Anonymous No.1863621]

>>1863616
Anon, senicide is a crime.

[Anonymous No.1863622]

Every fucking /ham/ thread is 90% (pic related), shitposting by lazy cunts that can't be bothered to pass a test, or white knighting (for gear or people) like this guy >>1863616

[Anonymous No.1863623]

We come on the Sloop John thread
My Elmer and me
Around Nassau town we did roam
Posting all night
Got into a fight
Well I feel so broke up
I want to go home

The first poster he got drunk
And broke in the OP's trunk
The jannies had to come and take him away
Sheriff John Stone
Why don't you leave me alone, yeah yeah
Well I feel so broke up, I want to go home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nSAoEf1Ib58

[Anonymous No.1863697]

>>1863494
>Z-codes
ZAA You are not observing proper circuit discipline.
ZBM2 Place a competent operator on this circuit

[Anonymous No.1863715]

>>1863697
I have been in on some improper circuits but never fired off either of those two.

[Anonymous No.1863754]

>>1863622
Most people just don't realize how much they have no idea how electronics work.

USB goes Brrrr

[Anonymous No.1863800]

>>1863754
My radio has LSB and USB.

[Anonymous No.1863909]

>>1863800
any everyone asking questions didn't understand that.

[Anonymous No.1863928]

>>1863800
>LSB and USB
>One carrier to rule them all
AM

[Anonymous No.1863953]

>>1863928
One Carrier to rule them all, One Carrier to find them, One Carrier to bring them all, and in the aether bind them.

[Anonymous No.1863956]

How do I go about "copying" a signal? Yes, I'm a newfag. I found the garage door buzzer frequency and want to make my own. How does one go about this?

>>1863622
> there's more to this than I thought
me right now

[Anonymous No.1863961]

>>1863956
buy a hackRF

[Anonymous No.1864005]

>>1863956
>please help me break into someone's garage
No.

[Anonymous No.1864034]

>>1863956
315 MHz is an interesting frequency for experiments.
https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a27376621/car-key-fob-failures-radio-interference/

[Anonymous No.1864064]

how do HAM radio operators make money?

[Anonymous No.1864065]

>>1864064
wage slave, like everyone else

[MrCrummyPaws No.1864067]

Ok so I picked this up for 200 bucks off offerup, it seems kinda based, but now I gotta figure out an HOA friendly antenna setup

[Anonymous No.1864085]

>>1864064
They sell slave muzzles with built-in microphones.

[Anonymous No.1864093]

It’s a hobby, its not a job, its not a requirement etc. It’s simply a hobby or avocation that people like to do in their spare time when they don’t have to work for a living, pay bills, feed children, change diapers and fix things around the home or work on the car.

[Anonymous No.1864145]

I'm almost competent enough to send cw in that I see a letter and know the dits and dahs, but when I hear the dits and dahs, it takes me a minute to see the letter.
How much more time before I can hit the airwaves? I'm itching for my DXCC and have been on 99 via Digital for about a month.

[Anonymous No.1864257]

>>1864145
Learning to send Morse code is far easier than learning to receive. Sending takes just a few weeks to learn, receiving takes months. How long depends on you including if you have a sense of rhythm. If you play instruments you have a good chance.

Of course sending high speed Morse is a skill that takes time. 20 WPM is easy.

[Anonymous No.1864270]

>>1864257
thanks, you may have been the one who mentioned rhythm here to me a few months ago.
I got sidetracked with other projects, but am back to learning. Remembering to listen to the song of each letter instead of counting each noise has helped to some degree. I can copy 15-20wpm ... as long as I get a few seconds between each letter to recall what I heard.

[Anonymous No.1864293]

>>1864270
At 60cpm=12wpm you have 1 second for writing a character down while at the same time recognising the next. This process has to be fully automatic and run in the background. There is no time for guessing.

[Anonymous No.1864321]

>>1864293
sounds like the piano, and I really didn't care for the piano.
Good to know, I know I've got a long way to go

[Anonymous No.1864361]

>>1864321
If you want to 'see' characters I'd suggest you go to http://k3fef.com:8901/?tune=7030lsb, adjust the RX and look around for slow CW operators. Put on your headphone, tune in and close your eyes. Then watch the text drift across your memory. When you recognise a callsign, write it down and continue watching.

[Anonymous No.1864370]

>>1864361
I learned that CQ SK means calling Straight Key operators, not ghosts.

[Anonymous No.1864387]

>>1864361
Great advice. I just wish I were farther along.

[Anonymous No.1864393]

>>1864370
Thanks for sharing. I thought there was some really sad dude out there calling for dead people.

[Anonymous No.1864422]

This is the most obnoxious face. I'm sick of seeing that retarded face every day on QRZ.com. Fucking disgusting mutt.

[Anonymous No.1864461]

>>1864422
>Munch munch munch munch. WOAAH! Take a look at this guh!

[Anonymous No.1864503]

>>1864270
>thanks, you may have been the one who mentioned rhythm here to me a few months ago.
Yes, that was probably me.
BTW: since it is easier to send faster than you receive, you should start out too fast since the other person will normally respond at the speed you send at. Having to send a QRS is an embarrassing climb down. Also a QRQ can be an open invitation for the other to test your capability.

[Anonymous No.1864646]

I asked /g/ so I'll ask you guys too
(And I see all the resources in OP about ham, which I will start reading, so take these questions as more about CB then)

An uncle passed recently and left me a box of stuff
I'm pretty sure one thing is a ham radio that I don't think I can use without a license

Another thing I think is an older CB radio that looks like pic related

Do these have any use or entertainment value in current year? I always thought CB was exclusively a big rig trucker thing. And I'm pretty sure he only used the ham radio to talk to other old dudes about the evils of niggers

Is that all radio is anymore?

[Anonymous No.1864669]

>>1864646
CB radio is dead in some places and supposedly still going in others. It's dead here where I live except for illegal high power units from other states.

even if there are people on CB's in your area chances are they are morons babbling incoherently.

[Anonymous No.1864701]

whats a ham bbs like

[Anonymous No.1864853]

>>1864701
pic semi related
was made for /k/

[Anonymous No.1864859]

>>1864701
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Hm6omrVaeE

[Anonymous No.1864890]

>>1864646
Post pics of equipment and most likely someone here can identify it.
Yes, you will need a license to transmit on ham bands. You do not need a license to listen and see if there are people using those bands.
And radio is about a lot of things, see the FAQ for the why and how.

[Anonymous No.1864944]

What's a good Baofeng UV5R antenna upgrade?

[Anonymous No.1864956]

>>1864944
coat hanger

[Anonymous No.1864969]

>>1864956
Yes, vertical dipole, SWR flat from 144...148 MHz.

[Anonymous No.1864987]

>>1864944
New radio

[Anonymous No.1865000]

>>1864944
What do you like and dislike about the Baofeng?

[Anonymous No.1865012]

What kind of set up do I need to talk to people within my city?

[Anonymous No.1865015]

>>1865012
A license

[Anonymous No.1865016]

>>1865015
Sweet. Thanks

[Anonymous No.1865021]

>>1865000
>What are the benefits of a chinkshit radio that costs 20% of an equivalent radio?
Boy, I wonder.

[Anonymous No.1865025]

>>1865012
Direct line of sight or a common repeater.

[Anonymous No.1865027]

>>1865021
If he likes talking to omelette bro or listening to NOAA or ____, we've got a starting point.
If he hates the reception or bashes omelette bro and wants to DX, we've got a starting point.
Without more to go on, we're just projecting our likes and interests onto him.

[Anonymous No.1865074]

>>1864969
Checked, and nice.
You got any more info on this coat hanger antenna, looks fun?

[Anonymous No.1865095]

>>1865012
>>1865015
It's literally that simple. Everything you need to know is in the study for the test. You can't operate those frequencies without one anyway.

[Anonymous No.1865096]

>>1865000
Baofang's are great. The UV5r is pretty shit front end tho and picks alot of noise up.

I use a uv-82hp connected to a jpole at 25 feet. works repeaters 40 miles away .

[Anonymous No.1865098]

>>1865074
Sure, you can find all the details at
https://w6nbc.com/articles/2018-04QSTcoathanger.pdf
Image: Another 2m band antenna by W6NBC, 40% as tall as a J-pole.

[Anonymous No.1865245]

>>1865098
Nice, thanks

[Anonymous No.1865330]

>>1864859
is that all there is to it?
on a computer bbs that would just be 'email'

[Anonymous No.1865488]

>>1865330
A bbs does a lot more than email. The main function is, well, the bulletin board.
In this case the bbs is optimised for slow links, so 4 MB images are out.

[Anonymous No.1865710]

Would someone mind posting the 5BWAC application process again?
Thought there was a tutorial somewhere other than printing and filling out the pdf

[Anonymous No.1865721]

posted in /ohm/ before being pointed here
but I recently fixed my nak 630, sounds better than ever, but I recently moved and now the beater monopole antenna I have doesn't really work. I'm only about 50 miles from a huge broadcasting center, but I'm in the mountians and I can barely get anything. Does anyone have resources on good diy FM dipole? I'm mostly looking for low end of the spectrum like 90-96MHz. I keep googling but it's a bunch of super dated popular mechanics guides and tards on youtube building them out of tent poles.

[Anonymous No.1865775]

>>1865721
>resources on good diy FM dipole?
A piece of 300Ω twin lead and maybe a 300-75Ω transformer
height of the antenna is what matters most in your case

[Anonymous No.1865797]

Anyone been on 160M lately? Any DX in the summer at night?

[Anonymous No.1865802]

>>1857741
summerfagging this hard.
Sorry to tell you this, but female hams are painstakingly rare. Also, most of them are taken. Also, a very few of them would date a ham. Also, noone of them would date a less than 9/10 ham.

Now, back to the topic.

First, because of simple maths & physics, useful RF spectrum is dramatically small. And only a small fraction of it is available to hams.
Second, generally it doesn't care how much tech & power your toys sport: a good antenna will make wonders even on a 2nd hand Baofung. That also means that a slightly wrongful retardedly erroneous mistaking antenn-a-rino will probably damage your muh precious equippomento.

Third, your trolling resembles those 12 years old kids shouting "man, I totally want to stop any car/train/plane out there!"

tl,dr: antenna investment = 10 * radio investment

[Anonymous No.1865804]

>>1858650
nice article.

[Anonymous No.1865806]

>>1858994
wait--
cute Japanese Girls testing the Icom IC-705:

http://www.fbnews.jp/202007/ww01/

[Anonymous No.1865809]

>>1861063
Man, you really need a Belarus' built radio:

https://swling.com/blog/2020/02/dans-initial-review-of-the-belka-dsp-portable-shortwave-radio/

[Anonymous No.1865812]

>>1865806
As much as I hate you weebs, yes.

[Anonymous No.1865823]

Stupid question: planning on building my first beam
Is this the direction you orient your antenna, or should the arrow go 90 degrees clockwise?

[Anonymous No.1865837]

>>1865802
>female hams are painstakingly rare. Also, most of them are taken
Well, there is Jeri Ellsworth.

[Anonymous No.1865867]

>>1865775
does length not matter as much for FM as it does for other reception like SW?

[Anonymous No.1865887]

>>1865488
thats my point tho
in the linked video the 'ham bbs' only does email. there is no bulletin board shown

[Anonymous No.1865889]

tuned in to 40 meters this morning, testing out a new version of sdrsharp. listened to a couple of old guys talking about what engine one of them had in his van.

good time to be alive.

[Anonymous No.1865957]

>>1865837
The length of the dipole is one half of the wavelength and your wavelength is 300/93(MHz) in meters.

[Anonymous No.1866029]

Sup, /ham/

I don't have a ham license but I work for a railroad and bought myself a Baofeng BF-F8HP and have been playing with it and using it for work. I like the increased power and dual receive capabilities a lot, but is there something... better constructed with the same features? I can tell the audio quality isn't quite as nice as the icoms and kenwoods that the company gives out, but the range is definitely superior.

I'm also very interested in getting my ham license now that I've been toying around with this thing for a few weeks.

[Anonymous No.1866106]

>>1866029
Don't get caught using that at work. You'll be terminated. Not joking.

[Anonymous No.1866110]

>>1866106
For what? My bosses don't give a shit and they know. Honestly, if they're handing out radios left and right to mouth breathers, why can I not use my own?

[Anonymous No.1866238]

>>1866106
That anon is right. Railroads are fucky when it comes to rules and laws and agreements. They've got money and power. You're a nobody who needs this foot in the door. If you need a radio, they can afford to give you one.

[Anonymous No.1866257]

>>1866029
>but is there something... better constructed with the same features?
Yaesu FT-65 or FT-4X

[Anonymous No.1866266]

This propagation is killing me.
>Working from home
>Only a few more needed for 5BWAC
>Hungry for a 5BDXCC or DXChallenge
Can't hear or hit shit. Woke up at 4 am and decided to try Asia. Nothing. Nowhere. Grrrrrr.
Now I'm going to spend all of Friday 'working' and trying to add any country, which will probably be zero.

[Anonymous No.1866268]

>>1866266
And don't get me started about Honduras. I've been trying to work their ass for half a year. They're as deaf and dumb as Helen Keller.

[Anonymous No.1866297]

>>1866238
>Foot in the door
I've been working here for 7 years. They really don't give a shit, dude.
>>1866257
Neither one of those will actually transmit on 160 MHz.

[Anonymous No.1866300]

>>1866297
That's cool, I just hear horror stories about how if you look at a train the wrong way or if a railroad spike follows you home, you end up on death row.
I hear automated train tx from my house 'system fine', but that's it. Didn't know you all actually keyed up

[Anonymous No.1866306]

>>1866300
>automated train tx
Like what? A defect detector?
>Didn't know you all actually keyed up
Some railroads(not mine) have duplex for communicating with dispatchers by just using two different frequencies.

I run yards so I just swap between 8 or 9 frequencies to talk to trains within them.

[Anonymous No.1866308]

>>1866306
>A defect detector?
That must be what it's called - it does say 'no defects found!' then some specs I can't remember.
Someone will come along and say you're violating FCC Code 78563 dash fhgddf for using a business radio you programmed yourself and you're not authorized, blah blah blah. If someone starts sniffing around, ditch it.
Half of the Baofeng's love-hate relationship is it can TX on more frequencies than the FCC intended. I have the UV-82HP which is rather well constructed for the price. Also upgrade the antenna.
And maybe slap your work's logo or something on there

[Anonymous No.1866326]

>>1866308
>it does say 'no defects found!'
It should also give the axle count, temperature, speed, and sometimes length of the train. Some of the detectors even have microphones, for some reason, and you can hear the train horn blowing for a crossing whenever it transmits.

> Also upgrade the antenna.
Yeah, I put a Nagoya 771 on it and I can get some pretty nice range on it whenever I stand outside to get some air. 10+ miles sometimes when talking to trains. Much better than the icomms and kenwoods they hand out. The dual receive is also really nice for me since I'll have one on the mainline channel and one on a switching job that talks to me. I'm really not at all worried. I was talking with a communication technician about doing this months ago(he's also a ham guy) and he took the same line, "who gives a shit?"

[Anonymous No.1866329]

>>1866326
Sounds like a sweet gig, congrats anon.
If you have a specific spot you're usually at inside, you could install an external antenna and connect it to your baofeng if you want a fullblown ham shack.
If you get a kick out of this stuff, maybe that ham coworker would be worth pestering

[Anonymous No.1866334]

>>1866329
I already have two other radios that I use at my desk. One is THE BIG radio that uses some garbage UI that has it tied into the company's intranet so any authorized user can actually broadcast with it. It lets me switch between a couple different towers in the area, but the delay is fucking terrible and the interface so shitty.

The other is just a mobile Kenwood that you'd normally mount in a truck or something that has less power but works just great for talking to most people in the yard.

I got my own handheld so I could go outside, drink some coffee, stretch my legs, smoke a cigar, etc. while still having a radio on me. I've been issued plenty of handhelds from the company in the past, but I pretty much always have to give them out to someone whenever they break theirs. I got sick of that game so I bought my own. So far its served me pretty well, and digging through all the features and modes on it has got me looking into getting a general license.

[Anonymous No.1866401]

>>1865806
wow, those girls are so cute I can't believe they're actually into hamradio.
btw Icom knows how to get viral

[Anonymous No.1866403]

>>1866297
>Neither one of those will actually transmit on 160 MHz.
Both can be unlocked in two minutes to do 137.000 – 174.000MHz and 420.000 – 470.000MHz with an easily searchable code.

[Anonymous No.1866405]

>>1865837
great. yet she's already taken.
btw where are the other female hams?
a local CW enthusiasts webforum only shows 3 females out of 2,700+ users (less than 0.1%)
we definitely need female quotas in hamradio

[Anonymous No.1866409]

>>1866297
>>1866403
https://www.friendlyskies.net/fmk/index.php?tpl=Radio-Yaesu-Settings.html

[Anonymous No.1866433]

I was really into ham radio maybe 4-5 years ago, got a Yaesu FT450D which was a great rig, spent shitloads of money and enjoyed it briefly but
>propagation was shit
Furthest person I spoke to was Moscow from the UK, I didn't have the best aerial setup and was limited to 10W because of my foundation license, but even listening I never heard anything particularly interesting
>people rarely actually communicated, just exchanged callsigns, 59 even if the signal was dogshit and buggered off. I'd only ever hear conversations on VHF/UHF through repeaters, the 60 metre band which was full licensees only, and was it 40m that was good for ground wave? I can't remember.

I remember getting into digital and getting a contact really close to me on 20m or something unusual, and tried to strike up a conversation with the bloke because I thought it was fascinating but he was just like '59 73s' fucking stupid. You can't talk to people from interesting countries because there are 500 people trying to contact him just to fill in their book and millions of retards keying up on that frequency.

I wanted to love the hobby but aspects disappointed me. I would like to get sort of back in but probably just get a receiver, the money and effort going into transmitting doesn't seem worth it.

[Anonymous No.1866434]

>>1866433
You can get into local nets (hf or vhf).
Propagation is still shit, perhaps the reason for the quick conversations

[Anonymous No.1866437]

>>1866434
Yeah I never really did that much vhf stuff, where I lived previously seemed like a radio deadspot desu I couldn't get any mobile phone signal and even the tv aerial needed a powered pre-amp to get reception. Propagation looks loads worse than back then, depressing.

[Anonymous No.1866440]

>>1866437
Yup. I was still able to get my DXCC in 6 months, but that's not up your alley if you want to talk.
Maybe someone else can jump in with an idea, but I've got nothing for bad prop and wanting to have long conversations outside of the normal HF local traffic.
Maybe you find a different sub-hobby. Maybe you come back in 5 more years kek

[Anonymous No.1866444]

>>1866440
I'm happy to do just standard exchanges of callsigns and stuff too, it just felt like that was all there was and not much talking. I felt like I could have been learning from all these old bastards on air by talking them but it never really happened. Maybe my interest in the hobby wax and wane with the sunspot cycle lel, I've heard it was mental back in the 80s and you could go fucking miles.

[Anonymous No.1866450]

>>1866433
10 watts sucks shit unfortunately, that's QRP levels of power, Ofcom fuck us though by prohibiting homebrew stuff on the foundation ticket so it's even less fun. It's worth getting your intermediate licence for 50w, you'll be heard across Europe no problem with a decent antenna on HF and doing VHF with a yagi at 25 watts works out pretty well especially if you're near a coast or a hill.

[Anonymous No.1866451]

>>1866450
It was more that I couldn't even hear them let alone contact them, probably down to my antenna or location.

The Yaesu FT450D was a great rig btw, I do miss it, I sold it as I needed the money and my interested had faded a bit, I actually made a profit on it which was pretty good. If I get back into the hobby I'll go for my intermediate.

[Anonymous No.1866500]

Interesting CARS net on 7248 doing emergency battery power exercise

[Anonymous No.1866613]

6 left

[Anonymous No.1867027]

Should I chase a DXCC Challenge and a 5BDXCC will inherently work itself out, or vice versa?
>in before digital fag - I know, that's another goal

[Anonymous No.1867038]

>>1866405
>great. yet she's already taken.
She is?
>btw where are the other female hams?
Around here many hams have a background from the merchant fleet or the military signal service. Both attracted a fair bit of females but this is a while ago so the female hams from that era are typically grandmothers.
>a local CW enthusiasts webforum only shows 3 females out of 2,700+ users (less than 0.1%)
East European high speed Morse operators seem to have a lot of young women. They brutalise the key faster than I ever could.
>we definitely need female quotas in hamradio
Not sure how to do that. In the West women tend to go for fashion, posing on Instagram and stay away from tech as much as possible.

[Anonymous No.1867047]

I’m thinking about getting started with HAM radio since I’m studying EE and a family friend is an operator. My question is, what do you actually do with one? I’m not social enough to talk to a bunch of strangers

[Anonymous No.1867048]

>>1867047
talk to old guys about their prostates.

[Anonymous No.1867051]

>>1867047
>what do you actually do
Check the FAQ
https://wiki.cybsec.io/index.php/HamFAQ
You can chose what you want, go for social chats ("rag chew"), or competitions (DX etc.) or make new tech.
With a background in EE you could put your DSP skills to use in new modulation and decoding tech.

[Anonymous No.1867085]

>>1865837
>>1867038
She's a fucking dyke.

[Anonymous No.1867103]

>>1867038
>East European high speed Morse operators
Advice for perennial pubertarians (all in CW):
no silly mask - no deadly vaccine - no social distance

[Anonymous No.1867173]

>>1867085
How do you know? Did she reject you?

[Anonymous No.1867202]

Could someone help me out with this GNURadio problem?
I'm using an OsmoSDR Sink Block with a HackRF, (firmware 2018.1.1) and when I set the OsmoSDR sink block to have two channel inputs (nchan=2) and connect both of them, I get this error:
"Hierarchical block 'sink_impl': input 1 is not connected internally"

Pic related is my flowchart setup in GNU Radio
gr-osmosdr 0.2.0.0 (0.2.0) gnuradio 3.9.0.0-git

[MrCrummyPaws No.1867281]

>>1867038
>They brutalise the key faster than I ever could.
yes, because you are a sub-par man.
put a top tier woman against a top tier man.

[Anonymous No.1867289]

>>1867281
I only learned the straight key, many years ago and I am rather rusty now. I did reasonably well in class, I like to think, but was never into the competitive side of things.

[Anonymous No.1867594]

can someone recommend a HT that isnt shit and is relatively new and under 400?

[Anonymous No.1867666]

>>1867594
No, 'shit' is too vague.

[Anonymous No.1867667]

is it possible to make a beam with a dipole?

[Anonymous No.1867674]

>>1867667
beam is a meme, look for 2-element yagi to find the length.

[Anonymous No.1867677]

>>1867674
hell, yeah!!

[Anonymous No.1867692]

>>1867674
>beam is a meme
How come?

Also we just hit 321 posts and page 8. We will need a new thread before the end of the day.

[Anonymous No.1867702]

>>1867677
wish I saw these a year ago!
I have one mast. with a portable tripole, I can attach the other end and most it around the yard as needed

[Anonymous No.1867767]

Currently using a kenwood ts590s into a g5rv. Wondering if its worth getting an antenna tuner from MFJ for it? The internal tuner on my rig seems to cope alright, just wonder if a dedicated tuner is more advantageous?

[Anonymous No.1867928]

>>1867767
if it ain't broke, fix it until it is.

[Anonymous No.1867993]

>>1867666
just your personal recommendations however i need a gps and aprs.

[Anonymous No.1868126]

>>1867993
Just build one out of 67 baomemes and a rasp pi, bro.

[Anonymous No.1868152]

Is baofeng handheld still worth it after FCC cucked it

[Anonymous No.1868176]

>>1868152
I don't see how the FCC fucked it.

[Anonymous No.1868197]

>>1868176
Reduced bandwidth operations

[MrCrummyPaws No.1868328]

>>1868152
>>1868197
Can't you literally just put it back in chirp?

[Anonymous No.1868374]

>>1868176
don't know how often I posted this

[Anonymous No.1868394]

>>1868374
Last I saw memfengs are still part 97 certified. Not that it matters, as the rule is completely unenforced.

[Anonymous No.1868397]

>>1868394
[citation needed]

[Anonymous No.1868459]

Would someone be willing to confirm my interpretation that the other driven elements aren't connected?
>10 and 15m DEs are solid with no insulator at center
If so, how's that possible? An unconnected wire is an antenna?
>https://www.yccc.org/Articles/Antennas/K1NQ/Compact_Wire_Tri.htm

[Anonymous No.1868460]

>>1868374
I just bought a 8HP and it had nothing locked out.

[Anonymous No.1868476]

>>1857741
Diodes and mosfets add up real quick on mouser.

There's at about 10+ MHz where design gets hard, matching caps and whatnot becomes necessary.

[Anonymous No.1868491]

>>1868460
Money always finds its way.

[Anonymous No.1868500]

>>1868459
The 20m dipole is the (center fed) driven element while 15 and 10 m are parasitics (capacitive/inductive coupling) of the center driven element. These are indeed unconnected just like the three reflectors.

[Anonymous No.1868504]

>>1868500
>parasitics
Very cool and much appreciated. I've seen 'parasitic' throw around, but only now took the time to look it up.
I always thought it was odd 'parasite' was used in a positive context for antennas. Looks like we're of the very few who like it :)
>In electrical networks, a parasitic element is a circuit element (resistance, inductance or capacitance) that is possessed by an electrical component but which it is not desirable for it to have for its intended purpose.

[Anonymous No.1868536]

Finally a message from Hong Kong